A school where I substitute taught at a few months ago called me yesterday and offered me about 8 days of work, which basically solves my money problems. Now unless something terrible happens, I should have a few hundred in the bank when I get back to the states. And now I can have my morning coffee at the cafe near school, as opposed to a handful of free public restroom toilet water.

I can walk to work from my house, which is basically unimaginable for most Tokyo dwellers. The teaching is easy work and the people are nice. What a relief and a pleasant surprise.

I have one more week at the other place I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays, actually 3 more shifts, including today. They have no teaching method or plan, so I have to ad-lib. Also they have no books, reading materials, teaching materials, or games, nada. And I never know who is coming, so it might be a 3 year old, or it might be a 15 year old. It's a mess.

37 more days in Japan. My heart rate quickens when I think about that. I don't know if it's anxiety or excitement.

That's what we are doing in class. Reading and explaining graphs. Pretty dry. For some reason though, I kind of like it. Maybe because I have a "GOOD ATTITUDE®". Not really. It's good to learn things other than the basic conversation. On a bulletin board, someone once said, "Unless you can tell me how to tie my shoes, you aren't bilingual". I think the same could be said for explaining a bar graph.

Yesterday's Search Terms:

"means yesterday in japanese" - Kino or more formal, Sakujitsu. Same Kanji:昨日

"Japanese word that sounds like Scoot" - Hmm.　Not sure. 作った？tsukutta? Probably not. Need more context.

On the basic wordpress.com dashboard, I can see the search keywords people used to get here. I'll try to post the answers, if I can. Even though people might not bother coming back, it's good practice for me. Yesterday, for example:

"Japanese word for night" - that's easy. 夜-Yoru. Late at night is usually "深夜"-Shinya.

The next one was not so easy:

"Every Japanese word and what they mean"

Might I suggest Jim Breen's online Dictionary. Sounds like someone has a very demanding teacher.

I wake up, exercise, meditate, write in my journal, go to work, come home and write some more or make music. I  am a vegetarian, but I also can smoke 2 cigarettes a week, and not crave anymore than that. My apartment has no AC, because I don't like it, and it is furnished with a futon, desk with a small laptop, and a dresser. Other than a few books, I have no other possessions. The kitchen has a rice cooker and hot water pot for tea and coffee and a hot plate.

I use my bicycle to ride to school and work everyday, and study a few hours a day. I meet friends for coffee or dinner one or twice a week, but mostly work on school and my art. I practice my Japanese a few hours a day, and meet Japanese friends for conversation.

--I think the only thing that keep me from my idealized life is that certain resistance. I begin to dread the even the things I love to do.

Every morning, as I think of what I have to do that day, tasks pile up, and I get a feeling of dread in my gut. Like yesterday, even when friends want to do something, there is a certain resistance. Like all my time is  being taken away. I am meeting friends in Omotesando tonight, and yesterday I wanted to do it. Today, it's a hassle.

I have less than 6 weeks left in Japan. I have started hearing from friends, some staying longer, some leaving the same time, who want to get together. I want to see them, but my financial situation is pretty grim. I am scraping together the money for a birthday present for my girlfriend.

Plus, about 5 months ago, I quit drinking. It's something nobody seems to care abut but me, but I sort of stopped hanging around my drinking buddy classmates. And by drinking buddies I mean 100 pound girls that I was out-drinking 5 to 1. They were capable of going out and drinking a few beers and stopping, for whatever reason, I can't do that. So I am a little...ashamed to see them again.

I've already met a few, and they are surprised to find that I am drinking oolong tea. Then they forget about it and move on. But still I build it up in my mind.

I have about $150 US that I never exchanged for Yen, which is my emergency fund. When I get back to the States I will stay with my Aunt and Uncle for a month, while I work and prepare for school. I want to take my minimalist, Japanese, Zen lifestyle back to America.

The books we use at school are the Kanji Master series-

They were developed by my school, so I didn't have much choice as to what I was going to use. The books are arranged by category, for example one chapter is 道具, tools. This includes 機、械、技、術、器、具、etc. Words like 機械、技術、具合, etc., are included. It's all Joyo Kanji.
I know a lot of people like "Remembering the Kanji" by Heisig. From the looks of it though it seems the book really is mostly for remembering the characters only, the on and kun yomi are not included. This seems to present several problems. One being you can't read aloud. Plus verbs must be kind of confusing; 強まる、混じる. Knowing just the Kanji's meaning doesn't really transmit the verb's meaning or what compounds mean. But some people swear by the book, so maybe I'm missing something.
At school, my class learns about six Kanji a day; stroke order, on & kun yomi, and about seven or eight words or expressions per Kanji. Then every three days, after we finish a chapter, we are tested on the vocabulary from the book, 15 random yomikata, 15 kakikata. I'm amazed how good my memory had gotten. After writing all of the words about 3 times, I can usually make it past the test with only 2-3 mistakes. If we get below a 70 we have to take it again:(
When I took 2kyuu, I seem to remember that most of the Kanji were arranged by similarity, and you had to know how the radical made them different; 支、枝、技、伎 . This is where I lose my marbles.
Reading helps. Flashcards are good too. I think it takes multiple methods to really assimilate Kanji into your regular vocabulary. But I think it's misguided to set out to "memorize the Kanji in x days". Taking the time to learn to write them, as well as memorize the meaning and readings, makes for a much more pleasant time here in Japan. Suddenly words on the train jump out at me - "Hey, I know what that means now!!"
 
 

不平分子-Fuheibunshi-Malcontent. Bunshi is also "molecule".

I've always been a malcontent. Recently I realized what a drag it is to be around people like that, er, me. When a teacher explained an assignment, it was a matter of seconds until I was griping to myself about how stupid it was. Of course, my disdain came across to my classmates (usually team members) and probably to my teachers.

When I teach here, I have kids who act like this. I am embarrassed that I behaved like this as an adult.

Now I don't allow myself the time to judge my teachers requests. I try and tackle them headfirst. In other words, I trust in the teacher, rather than assume they don't know what they are doing. And I ignore my fear of participating and failing, and try my best.

I have very little stuff here. Clothes, books for school, computer, my bass and guitar. I gave away just about everything, but I have a few boxes of stuff stored at my mom's. The funny thing is, I don't remember what most of it is, and I don't seem to miss it. I definately don't miss the stuff I gave away.

But I still covet things, a new computer, new clothes, and new bike. I remember from a speech the Dali Lama gave, he said that our suffering is caused by the misguided assumptions of the results of our actions. If I get new stuff, I will be happier.

Well, I have little stuff, and I am the happiest I have ever been. Even though I want stuff, at the same time I also know that my life is no happier when I get it. The small amount of things I have here in Japan seem cumbersome. Especially as I contemplate bringing it all back home.

What matters now is sucking up every minute that I am here. 45 days left.

This semester is such a change from last semester. My attitude is better, and though I would love to credit it to my emotional and spiritual growth, the Buddha that I am, but I think I am getting a little bit better speaking and writing and understanding Japanese. Which is rather nifty, I do say.

Being with people that complain constantly is actually good inspiration. As long as I don't  try and pretend that they are any different than me.